Wine 101: Exploring Sonoma County With Brack Mountain Wine Company - T

We could think of no better team to explain the wines of Sonoma County to you than the duo of Dan Fitzgerald and Ali Smith, both of the Brack Mountain Wine Company, a self proclaimed “next generation winery”. They produce small lots of hand-crafted, premium wines sourced from several of the best growers in Sonoma County, and offer them at fair market prices. Dan is the head wineamker and Ali is the National Sales Manager, and both will join us for this discussion and tasting of the wines of the region.

To truly understand Sonoma, you need to go there, but we’re going to do our best to create a mental picture of what it’s like to be there. Compared to Napa, which can tend to be a bit glamorous and pretentious, Sonoma is more laid back, rustic and organic. This mellow, unpretentious attitude doesn’t mean that world class wines aren’t produced there; the growers and producers of Sonoma just don’t take themselves quite as seriously as their neighbors in Napa. Brack Mountain works with many of these farmers as well as their own vineyards to craft a number of delicious and memorable wines and we can’t wait to share them with you.

Lynn and myself in the caves at Brack Mountain Winery.

For this tasting, we’ll sample six of their Sonoma County wines ranging from Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay to Pinot Noir and Cabernet Sauvignon. Bread and cheese are included for this seated, educational and fun tasting of wines from one of California’s hottest young producers. Call us at 828.505.8588 to reserve and pre-pay for 1 of the 24 seats available for this event.

$20/person…..$15 for Grape Nuts. Here’s the lineup:

The Wines
Prices range from $18 to $42

1. 2012 Origine Sauvignon Blanc Russian River Valley
Sourced from the Louvau Vineyard, in the heart of the Russian River Valley, this tiny production Sauvignon Blanc is super aromatic and beautiful. A Top 100 wine pick w/the San Francisco Chronicle.

2. 2011 L’Oliveto Chardonnay Russian River Valley
100% Chardonnay sourced from one of the oldest vineyards in the Russian River Valley, this one is barrel fermented and only about 300 cases were made. Rich and toasty notes are balanced by refreshing fruit flavors of pear, apple and citrus fruits.

3. 2012 Origine Rosé of Pinot Noir Russian River Valley
We were lucky to receive one case of this wine, which I believe they produce less than 500 cases of. It is dry and very flavorful with notes of framboise, raspberry, cranberry and an assortment of other red fruits. Zesty, zesty and perfect for salmon, tuna, sushi and porch pounding!

4. 2011 Bench Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast
Ali Smith will be joining us for this tasting and she is the national sales and marketing manager for Brack Mountain. She said that in numerous trade, blind tastings, this wine beat out Kosta Browne more than once. That’s a bold statement considering Kosta Browne was Wine Spectator Wine of the Year in 2011. Come taste this, you might like it!

5. 2010 Bench Merlot Alexander Valley
This was a very pleasant suprise when we tasted it at the caves at Brack Mountain. More structured and “serious” than your average Merlot, this one breathes notes of ripe plum, cherry, cedar, spice box and herb. Really, really fine Merlot.

6. 2010 Cyprus Cabernet Sauvignon Dry Creek Valley
This 300 case production wine comes from the top block of the Enos Vineyard, about 2 miles out West Dry Creek Road. It’s where Lynn and I stayed on our trip, so this wine has a very special place in our hearts. It is full, heavy and hearty, with gorgeous notes of macerated raspberry, black cherry and currant along with more complex nuances of cedar, spice box, earth and vanilla. Silver Oak fans will love this wine!

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